Being a mental health counselor comes with many responsibilities as people come to you hoping to improve their condition. Whether it’s depression, anxiety, PTSD, or any other problem, patients know they can trust a licensed mental counselor to help them deal with it and become the best version of themselves.
But how can you be the best version of yourself and help out your clients in the most effective way? What do you need to learn as a mental health counselor to be there for all your clients? Here are some valuable tips for anyone beginning their career as a mental health counselor or who has been doing it for years and wants to improve. These tips will help you reach your full potential as a licensed counselor and make your career reach new heights as more and more clients will get satisfied.
Educate yourself
Even after you have earned your clinical mental health counseling degree, do not stop educating yourself and learn new ways in which you can deal with clients. Study some extra courses or get your master’s degree or enroll in a doctoral CACREP accredited program. CACREP is one of the accrediting boards that offer a variety of programs of different time durations for professional counselors so that they can develop their careers and help their clients.
Once you decide what you want to study further, compare CACREP accredited online counseling programs and choose one that suits your schedule. This way, you can increase your knowledge alongside getting relevant experience.
You can also attend mental health conferences in your city to get experience. This will allow you to listen to other mental health experts share how they deal with their clients and help you improve your methods. Do not hesitate to ask questions when interacting with more knowledgeable people.
Have everything organized
Being an effective mental health counselor also means being someone who has all their paperwork, confidential files, and schedule organized and stored correctly. You can organize everything regarding your work in a manner that allows you to work effectively so that you won’t have to search for a client’s details before their session. You’ll know exactly where everything is kept and can be prepared before a client walks through the door.
Moreover, prioritizing being organized in your practice will allow you to work more efficiently and give your clients peace of mind. They will be relaxed when coming to you and communicating all their problems as they know that all their data is in a safe place and no one can misuse it.
Cultivate the ability to listen on different levels
This tip will make you stand out from other counselors. It requires you to pay attention to your clients when they speak of everything they have been through or their current problems and addictions. This is because sometimes a client does not share all the details. But you can read between the lines and understand what they haven’t directly told you by their tone, why they are saying it, and what it means in the entire conversation. You should focus on what your client is saying silently, just as much as you focus on what they communicate loudly, as both aspects are an essential part of your conversation with them.
By listening between the lines and paying attention to the tiniest details shared by your client, you will be able to understand what they are hoping to gain from their sessions with you. It would help if you worked with them to form therapeutic goals and try to achieve them individually in each session. This will make your client feel satisfied and happy after each session.
Practice ethically and professionally
Your profession requires you to be ethical with clients and their data as they become vulnerable in front of you. You must ensure the safety of their information and not share it with anyone, no matter how interesting it may seem. You must also learn to keep your beliefs and values aside from those of your clients and allow them to make their own life choices.
As a mental health counselor, you are in no position to hold your clients accountable for any of their decisions and shouldn’t impose your thoughts on them. It would be best if you acted professionally at all times and did not plan any meetups with your client outside of the office.
If you want to learn more about being ethical in healthcare, you can take courses on it. Read up on the moral values you must follow as a mental health counselor in the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics or any other official mental health-related website in your state.
Be non-judgmental
Every person has their own set of values and beliefs. As a counselor, you must learn to respect everyone’s point of view and be neutral under all circumstances. You must respect all the decisions made by your client and never judge them. Self-disclosure should be done only when necessary.
Also, while stating your opinion, you should be careful with your words and ensure your client doesn’t get hurt or offended in the process. As a mental health counselor, you are there to help your client by listening to them and being there for them so they can fight their inner demons and learn to move on from past bad experiences.
If someone comes from a different ethical or religious background, you can always search up about them and gather everything you need to know about their beliefs before their appointment with you. This way, you can be non-judgemental and understand better where they are coming from. This will help you create a therapeutic relationship based on trust and agreement with them.
Have a sense of humor
Being a counselor is not easy. You have to listen to some very uncomfortable, sometimes traumatic stories. These are the kind of stories that can shake any person to their core. But you need to be strong and learn to not only listen to their stories but also learn when to crack a joke and have a laugh with your client.
You must figure out the right time to crack a joke and make your client laugh during your session. The joke is supposed to create a relational connection with your client to the extent that you both have a similar sense of humor. This will allow your clients to be comfortable and feel connected with you.
Have a flexible attitude
As a mental health counselor, you must learn to be flexible and prioritize your clients. There will be times when your clientele will be unpredictable. They might cancel last moment, come a little late, or want an emergency session. Learn to deal with all these situations by being calm and accommodating. This will make them feel like they are being valued and taken seriously and, in turn, help you create a safe space with them where they can open up and share everything easily. Your flexible and positive attitude will help develop a strong bond with your clientele and help in your therapeutic alliance with them.
Conclusion
Make your techniques better as a mental health counselor by incorporating these tips. Learn to be patient with your clients and be there for them throughout their journey as they open up to you and trust you more with each passing session. Somedays, things might be a bit harder than usual. It is at these times you must remind yourself why you opted for this profession and continue with your day trying to help out as many people as you can. Remember, a good mental health counselor knows how to differentiate between their personal and work life while prioritizing their patients.